Daryll Cullinan banned for one match

Life is never dull when Daryll Cullinan is concerned, and he is again in trouble after a well-publicised confrontation with HD Ackerman at the weekend. Following a private hearing on Monday with Michael Kuper, the South African board's disciplinary commissioner, he was banned for one match after being found guilty of contravening two clauses of the board's Code of Conduct.

Cullinan, who captains Titans, was summoned along with Ackerman, skipper of Lions, after the pair clashed during a match between the two sides at Potchefstroom last week. Witnesses said the trouble started when Cullinan spoke to Ackerman as he came out to bat. Ackerman was clearly upset by the comments and got involved in a heated confrontation, later making a formal complaint to the umpires.

Cullinan, who will not appeal, will miss the match against Eastern Cape Warriors starting on January 6. Ackerman was "severely reprimanded" for his part in the incident.

The exact details of the face-off are not known, but it left Lions' officials deeply unhappy. Shukri Conrad, the coach, was reported in some newspapers as saying it was time Cullinan retired, and he slammed the player for not speaking to any of the Lions team after the match. "If he can't take time out to thank us, then that just sums up the man."

It is understood that Titans officials have fully accepted the punishment and also that Cullinan has apologised to them for his conduct.